Tiri's WishSufficed to say, after the last couple of breeding seasons, Tiri, the Unseelie queen, is getting a bit tired of being asked to breed so very much. She has decided to ask Crowley for help, that the next time she has a royal baby that it be a terrifying cursed baby, hoping that this will convince anyone interested in a royal baby that it might well be a monster. This was despite my warning her both that the result might not be what she wants and that it is probably a futile exercise as the royal babies are so beautiful and popular. She didn't listen to me. Instead she went to talk to Crowley about a cursed baby. I imagine it is the first time Crowley has been asked for a truly demonic child to be the result but that's my evil little fae queen for you. I hope she gets what she wants, along with (hopefully) making her breeding seasons less stressful, a demon baby would be very helpful as backup for her day job, namely guarding my desk against would- be pen thieves.

"I wouldn't normally come and talk to a demon but this isn't a normal matter." Tiri said, approaching Crowley. "The crazy humans seem to all want babies from me. It is making me horribly tired. I want a baby that will make them think twice about wanting a baby from me. Something like that Hellhound my handler lets hang out above her bed, that the little cowardly Growler Reth and his equally cowardly Omega mate, Hatsheput, love to hide behind, the one with the multiple glowing eyes that is meant to terrify any bad dreams that might bother my handler. (yes, you read that right, a Hellhound "Dreamcatcher"...a job at which he is quite effective) Perhaps a three headed baby, like that three headed dog, Cerberus, my handler so loves as a symbol for herself." Tiri paused to think how to phrase it. "I want a demon child, like you, with great sweeping wings, fierce-some markings and saber fangs." Tiri grinned evilly. "A terrifying demon child that will show those humans what sort of monster they may get."

((By the way, comments are appreciated. I am always curious what people think of my written work))

ShadraAvro wrote:Azulon squiggled impatiently back and forth in front of the hollowed log he and Venom called home. He tried to calm himself by re-arranging the leaf walkway for the seventh time, or checking the mailbox he’d made out of an acorn shell for the ninth.

“Is the bedding soft enough? Will our eggs be warm? What about food? Do we have enough?” The gem hunter kept asking himself all manner of questions. Preparing for new babies was certainly far more stressful than he’d imagined. Still he couldn’t help but smile. Venom was going to be fantastic mother. He wasn’t so sure about himself as a father but with her by his side he was certain nothing could go wrong.

“Azulon?” a soft voice called from inside the log. There was a bit of a strain to it. He felt his stomach knot up almost immediately. He stopped his pacing.

“Venom?!” he asked, worried. He squiggled his way desperately up the leaf walkway, across the shiny stones, and into the log as fast as his tiny blue body would take him. He found her huddled in their nest. She was just a huddled mass of green sobbing fluff.

Alarmed, he gave her a gentle nudge with his nose. “Venom?” he asked, this time far more cautious.

“No,” was all she said. He knew what it meant. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. His heart sank. He wrapped himself around her and held her tight. They’d been trying for children for a while now. Nothing seemed to work or help. He’d heard all kinds of crazy remedies- crushed berries, herbs, flowers- and he’d tried them all. He waited for her sniffles to quiet down and lifted her chin with his tail gently.

“Shhh… it’ll be okay Venom. We’ll try again,” he assured her. He winced as her doubtful eyes pierced right through him. He nuzzled her cheek. “Please stop looking like that.”

She shook her head vigorously. “I love you, I really do, but this just isn’t working. We’ve been trying for so long and-”

He floofed his fur up. “W-we could always adopt? I’m sure there are plenty of wyrms that could use a home?”

True to her name, Venom spat back her words. “And why should I believe you?” She squiggled free of him. “Four years Azulon. Four. What have we to show for it?” There was an unusual gleam of black in her eyes.

The male wyrm drooped his head. “We have each other… Was that not enough for you?”

She shoved him toward the door. “Come back when you have a better excuse.”

The blue gem hunter had an uneasy feeling as he left the log. Down the shiny stones he squiggled, along the leaf path, past their little tooth pick fence, and even beyond the mailbox. He just kept going. In fact when he finally stopped he realized his head had been so full of muddled emotions he didn’t even know where he was anymore. No more forest?

He looked all around himself. Dirt paths each way and he was in the very center. A crossroads… what was that old legend about this place? He’d heard some humans talk about it once. He paced for a little while in circles. As he did a strange, desperate longing crept over him. It was as if a shadow had reached into his chest and grabbed his heart in a fist. He could feel it squeezing with each beat.

Then he noticed it. It didn’t look like much, just a little lump in the sand. He brushed it free with his feathery tail and nudged the top of the metal tin open. Inside there was kind of dirt, a bone, and a wrinkled photo of a human boy. He pulled the photo free and tossed it aside. He reached back and plucked a feather from his tail, dropping it in the box before slamming the lid shut. He buried it hastily.

Just as soon as he covered it, clouds passed over the sun. The air became dank and claustrophobic. Azulon felt his breath catch in his throat. A black furred wyrm appeared. His leathery wings folded around him as he towered over the little teacup wyrm. A cruel smile curled over his lips. “You called?” he practically purred.

Azulon exhaled sharply. “Yes! I mean…” He realized his enthusiasm was a bit too obvious. He cleared his throat and stiffened himself as he looked into Crowley’s ice blue eyes. “I mean yes. Yes I did call you.”

“Ah!” Crowley exclaimed gleefully. The smile widened into a toothy grin. Azulon swallowed hard. The little wyrm was losing his nerve. Crowley seemed to revel in it. The demon drew him close, cutting off his escape by wrapping him in his coiled body.

“A child,” Azulon stammered out. Crowley raised a red eyebrow. The gems on his forehead glittered.“A child! I should have known,” the demon laughed. “That’s always what it is when they don’t want to impress anyone.” He leaned down and placed his face close. “Now tell me...what sort?”

“The kind Venom and I deserve. A lovely daughter,” Azulon blurted. He instantly regretted his wording. He’d heard if you didn’t ask just right a demon would twist your words. He winced and resisted the urge to spit a curse.

“Deserve?” Crowley laughed, loud and low. “What a delicious word!” He tugged a feather free of Azulon’s tail, leaving the little not-so-plumed gem hunter with just two left. “Very well.” He waved a wing over the feather. “Put this in your nest. Next time you and your mate try you will have your daughter.”

Hekomi wrote:Balerion stared wistfully into the sky, his wings drooped to his side. He had been sitting on this rock for almost an hour now, his mind lost in thoughts. It was easier to watch the stars than to think about how she made his heart flutter. The thought brought him back to reality, his wings twitching slightly. There had to be a way to make her love him, right? He sighed, thinking of her glorious white fur. Cersei was everything Balerion had ever dreamed about, but she had eyes for no other wyrm. All she cared for was her brother, and that relationship was questionable at best. She spent all her time with him and the two of them would ward off any advances of other male wyrms. It seemed all they cared for was each other. Balerion had heard of the special bond of twins but... these two seemed different.

With a sigh, he squiggled off his rock and began to move across the grass. Maybe he could find a way to make her love him. She hadn't had eggs of her own, wouldn't she want eggs? Maybe she would want them to look like her brother, since she loved them so much. They would look like her then though too. He gulped, his mind full of thoughts, when a shadow crossed above him.

The smaller wyrm blinked and looked up, but the creature had disappeared. Balerion blinked, finally seeing blue eyes peering at him from high up in the branches. White teeth shone out in a tooth grin. Natural curiosity brought him closer, and the larger wyrm clicked his tongue.

"You look puzzled, little wyrm, come, tell Crowley your troubles," he said from above. Balerion blinked again - he had heard of Crowley, and how he would sometimes grant the wishes of wyrms around him. Suddenly his heart swelled and he found himself flapping his tattered wings up to where the other wyrm sat. He settled on the branch Crowley was on, looking up at him.

"There's always some girl, isn't there?" There was a dark tone to his voice, but Balerion was brave. Maybe he could get the wyrm to help him. It was worth a shot. And he was half tatterwing, so he was tough! He could handle himself.

"Well, I want her to love me. But she only seems to love her brother! I just... I want her to look my way. Maybe if I could get her attention, and we could have an egg together. A white egg... she likes white, it would look like her brother! And maybe if the baby had wings she would see how strong I am, and what a good lover I would make. Maybe?" It was worth a shot. He looked up at Crowley hopefully.

The larger wyrm chuckled. "That's a lot to ask for, little wyrm," he said, looking down at his fur. "I can help you." He plucked a small, white gem from his fur, which looked almost identical to Balerion's own crystal. "Give this to her, and soon she'll be begging you to have an egg with you." His reply came with a grin and a wink, his throat rumbling with the beginnings of a laugh.

The noise unsettled Balerion, but he quickly composed himself, nodding his head and looking up at Crowley. "Yes, yes, thank you Mr. Crowley! Thank you ever so much!" Balerion flew off, leaving Crowley in the trees, his toothy grin shining in the sunlight.

Fluffles paced back and forth in worry of his current conundrum, leaving a pretty clear path in the grass. His problem didn't lie in the typical I want her to love me sense, or have babies with me. He sighed in all honesty she deserved better then what he could offer her, it never left his mind. Deeply entranced with his thoughts a large shadow cascaded over him, he didn't notice until it had passed over him and covered a large area. He turned, floofing up with a vile hiss laced with poison before seeing that the creature casting the shadow had blue eyes and a sly calculating smirk. "My, my isn't someone antagonized today? Perhaps there's something I can do about that?" Crowley said as his jowls parted, his ivories flashing as if they were a giant sign 'Get away! Bad News! Evil' his deep crooning chuckle "Ha ha ha" sounding shortly after.

Fluffles cringed at the initial sight of him, realizing he had hissed at a powerful being. His ears flicked forward, fear being thrown into the wind "You? I don't even know your name. What can you do." Fluffles looked at him suspiciously before Crowley smirked again leaning down and wrapping his tail around the smaller feline speaking calmly into his ear "My name is Crowley, and what I can do is make your dreams come true. All you need to do is ask for my help." Fluffles tilted his head with a furthering suspicious look and a furrowed brow. How could anyone possibly make his dreams come true? He paused taking in the giant's words, he had been having some trouble and Floofball had sent him to try and find the demon his owner had talked about. But then she always liked demons, looked them up, studied the lore, drew them, designed them.

She said not all demons were bad, could it possibly be true for one to exist? He looked up at Crowley, giving him a skeptical look "So are you demon?" Crowley looked him dead in his green pools with the most serious look he could muster before laughing "I wouldn't say a Demon, more like... A genie, a king or a powerful benefactor." fluffles looked at him raising a brow "Like a Lawyer?" Crowley pulled him closer "Little feline, I like you. Tell dear Crowley what troubles you." Fluffles clenched his teeth "Sorry, but im looking for a demon. My dear ones would be upset if I asked you to help and nothing happened."

Crowley covered his lips with the tip of his tail "My, it must be bad." his smirk growing wider with glee I'll tell you a little secret, demons aren't the only ones who can help. Angels can too." Fluffles arched a brow again "So your an angel?" Crowley snickered in-audibly "I'll be whatever you want me to be, kid." Crowley pulled him closer "Now tell dear Crowley your problems." Fluffles was wary of the larger wyrm, taking a paused breath as he replied sarcastically rolling his orbs "If you insist. what could it hurt after all? Little did he know he was speaking with a demon. He turned away awkwardly "There's this girl. Crowley rolled his eyes how many times had he heard that story, he seemed disinterested until the feline went on speaking. "She's the most beautiful feline, I have ever seen and she deserves better then me." Crowley perked up was this perhaps a selfless act? A juicy chance to work his dark magic? "She's having my kits... But the mongrel's wont leave us alone. I fear for my children and her Crowley!" Crowley became un-interested again, such a seemingly simple request for talents like his.

"My home, was very peaceful. Until they came! Their incessant barking, their noisy whining, and the drool god don't get me started on that! I don't know what I did but I seemed to become their target especially for the big stupid lumbering male. He follows me and harasses me and my family constantly. I-no we humbly beg of you, to help our kittens be strong so they don't have to be afraid of the mongrel's I fear for their lives and the lives they will live under the constant threat of that monstrosity!" his voice cracked "I wish for them to be stronger then me, to face our fears, to never be pushed around by the mongrel's or their offspring ever again! he paused regaining some of his composure. "We both want this."

Crowley put the feline down rubbing his chin 'Well this is interesting..' he mused with himself for awhile before motioning with his wings for Fluffles to stay where he was and flapped off, when Fluffles thought it was a joke and was about to leave cursing himself for trusting the wyrm he saw a shadow block out the suns rays. He squinted and could not make him out until he came much closer, Crowley had returned. Putting down a strange round turquoise berry that had darker specks of purple on it. Fluffles looked at him "And what do I do with that?" Crowley shrugged nonchalantly "Feed it to whoever you wish. Your kittens will no longer fear you enemy." A low rumbling cackle sounded afterward before Crowley abruptly flew off leaving Fluffles to his own.

"A berry? Really? How is this supposed to help? Doesn't he know we eat meat!" the small wyrm grumbled starting to leave the berry, before turning around. What if it did help the kittens? But that's Ludicrous, a berry really? He glared at it, before grasping it and looking up to the sky. "If this works Crowley, thank you." he left to tell his mate what had happened.... From there she would decide.

Kiko wrote:Benji's request for Crowley.*EDIT* Will be using Arazia's High Mountain Growler, Nova

Benji was curled up in a patch of sunlight thinking about what Lucifer and his minion had said. Would seeking out that wyrm really help him? He hoped it was true but how could a demon help Nova to notice him. He was nothing special and she was the most beautiful growler he had ever seen. Benji pushed the thought out of his head and curled up tighter, preparing for a nap. He did indeed fall asleep but awoke when the warmth of the sun suddenly disappeared and a chilly breeze ruffled his fur. He looked up expecting to see clouds but what he saw was anything but expected. There in front of him was Crowley. Lucifer had described the demon to him but seeing this giant wyrm in person was a bit frightening.

“Your Benji I presume.”Crowley chuckled at the surprise on the little growlers face when he spoke his name. “Don’t be frightened my boy. My friend Lucifer has told me all about you and your struggles. I’m here to simply offer my assistance if you wish me to.” The grey wyrm shifted uncomfortably, wondering just how much this demon knew. “Well, none of the members of my squirm like me. They all say I will never impress her or have a child. I’m beginning to think they are right.”Crowley grinned, showing of his sharp teeth. He wrapped his tail around the smaller wyrm and pulled him closer. “So this is about a girl. Should have known, it always is. Tell me more boy, I believe I can help you.”

Benji took a deep breath wondering if he really should tell him more. He really loved Nova and would be overjoyed to have a child with her but it all still seemed too easy. “Can you really help me Crowley?” His question was barely a whisper but the demon still heard it. “Of course I can. You just need to ask.” “Ok, can you make Nova like me and give us a child that will impress my whole squirm, even Lucifer?” He made sure to say word for word what Lucifer had told him, stating it would grant him the best possible result. The large black wyrm took off and returned with a small white flower.

“Here, if you eat this Nova won’t be able to resist you and the two of you will have a child so great that the rest of your squirm will have to respect you.” And with that Crowley flew off and left the small wyrm to make his choice.

Aurorous wrote:I have not done any creative writing in years, but considering that I'm quite pleased with this story. Zomba is quite sure that there is no way Crowley can find a loophole in her plan.

Zomba and Diablo's Plea to Crowley

It was nighttime. The forest was mostly still aside from an occasional gust of wind, until an ear-splitting shriek pierced the silence, “EEEEEEEK!”. Diablo screamed as he felt a sharp jab in his back. He whipped his head around to see his mate pulling her shining stinger out from his back. Lucky for him his body had built up a tolerance for Zomba’s venom since she stung him at least once every day.

She unclenched her teeth from around a small pouch full of candied crickets and placed it gently on the ground. “That’s what you get for stopping short!” Her screeching voice sent some sleeping avian wyrms fluttering away in the treetops above. “We’re in a rush here! I almost dropped our offering and we’re supposed to be there by midnight.”

“Yes, right,” said a slightly worried Diablo. “You’re sure it was midnight, then?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” Zomba said with a huff. “You heard Decibelle’s shriek as loud and clear as I did. There’s no way we could have misheard the shriek of an alpha. She said he would meet us there at midnight.”

Diablo took in a big breath in and sighed softly, “It’s just… are you sure this is a good idea? Decibelle warned us of Crowley’s... nature. You saw what happened with Chernobyl. Do we really want to risk another situation like that?”

Zomba poised to strike him again, but instead let out an exasperated sigh, “We’re different,” she said. “Crowley gets us. We-, or at least I, am as tough as he is! He will see us in a different way.” She carefully closed her jaws around their offering and pushed herself past Diablo, grumbling something about needing some candied crickets for herself.

Diablo gulped but moved on with his mate. He wasn’t so sure about this whole deal; was bargaining with a demon a really good idea? It’s not like he had any say in the matter, though. If he wanted Zomba to be his mate, he had to agree with her crazy plan.

The two squiggled through the bracken in silence for a few minutes. It was not long before they could see moonlight shining down in a clearing up ahead. “That’s it!” said Zomba through clenched teeth. She squiggled off even faster, Diablo close behind. They reached the very edge of the clearing, just barely out of the shadow of the forest. Zomba carefully placed the bag of candied crickets in front of them.

“So, how long do we wait?” asked Diablo, but Zomba had barely opened her mouth when suddenly they were engulfed by a huge black shadow. The two looked up to see a pair of cold, ice blue eyes that seemed to penetrate their very souls, and a set of gleaming white teeth smiling evilly at them.

“Well now,” spoke the demon, “You must be the two that Decibelle told me about.”

“Y-yes sir,” even Zomba was intimidated by his powerful presence. “I am Zombanox, named for Zomba from ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’. She was one of the ghosts to wreak havoc on the world when she was released from the Chest of Demons,” Zomba puffed out her chest with pride; Crowley was sure to be impressed that she was named for a demon.

Crowley’s eyes narrowed, “Zomba, eh? If I do recall she was not the brightest of all the ghosts on that show,” he chuckled. Zomba’s chest deflated and her ears flopped over slightly. She was hoping Crowley hadn’t remembered or didn’t know about her namesake’s simplemindedness. Crowley let out a short laugh, “Ha! Well, let’s not let that get in the way of the business we have to attend to,” he turned his attention toward Diablo, who was sheepishly sitting next to Zomba and looking quite pathetic. “And you?” said Crowley, “I suppose you’re the lucky father-to-be?”

“Y-y-yes, I-I’m Devil’s Snare, but just call me Diablo,” he was barely able to get the words out.

“Diablo and Zomba it is then. So tell me, my dears, what is it that I can help you with?” Crowley’s voice resonated softly in the darkness.

Zomba quickly perked back up again at the mention of Crowley’s favor, “Well mister Crowley, we would like to have a child, a very special child. You see, as shriekers we understand you, you know? Like, what you did to Chernobyl? That was HILARIOUS!” Zomba laughed a little too enthusiastically for a moment. “We’re evil just like you, Crowley. I-, I mean we own this forest and the surrounding mountains. No one messes with me- uh, us. No one messes with us.”

Crowley guffawed, “Oh yes, yes, I can clearly see that we are on the same level here. You both are the most evil things I ever set my eyes on!” Crowley wiped back a tear of laughter with a wing feather. It took every ounce of self-control he had to keep himself from bursting out laughing at all of Zomba’s talk, but he pulled himself together. With a small chuckle he asked, “So tell me my evil little dears, what do you need from me?”

“We want our baby to have wings like you, Crowley!” Zomba’s eyes gleamed with excitement, “There are some new shriekers moving in on our territory and we’re having some trouble defending it. They always manage to get away from us, but with a shrieker in the sky to scout out our enemies’ locations we would be unstoppable.”

By this time Crowley had regained his composure “A shrieker to rule the sky, you say? Yes, I’d say that would be the perfect offspring for you two fearsome creatures.” He reached his great head over to his wing and his shining white teeth gently pulled out a small black feather, no bigger than the shriekers’ stingers. He placed it in front of them. From a distance it may have looked quite ordinary, but up close Zomba and Diablo saw that it had a strange iridescence to it. It seemed to be black and all the colors of the rainbow at the same time, as if it were dipped in oil.

Diablo had found his voice again, his eyes wide with awe, “Wow Crowley, I don’t know what to say. You have no idea how grateful we are.” He couldn’t believe he had ever doubted this kind demon.

Crowley flashed his teeth in a smile again, “Oh of course, my darlings. Just put that feather in your nest and you will have everything you want for your baby, and more.”

“Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Crowley!” shrieked Zomba. She could not stop squiggling, and in her excitement she knocked into the pouch of candied crickets. They spilled out onto the ground between the two shiekers and Crowley.

“Eeeugh!” Crowley drew back his head in disgust, “What in the world is that?”

Zomba stopped bouncing momentarily, “Oh, we brought them for you! Our handler made these candied crickets for us. They’re our favorite food, but we wanted you to have them. It’s the least we could do to thank you!” She carefully nudged them back into the pouch with her snout and placed the pouch in front of Crowley.

Crowley cringed at the scent of the crickets, disgusted. After closing his nostrils slightly he managed to say to the shriekers, “Why, thank you both so much. What a… lovely gift.” He silently thought to himself how the crickets would make a wonderful bribe for Decibelle when he needed a favor. Taking his gaze away from the pouch he rested his cold blue eyes on Zomba and Diablo, “Heed my instructions, my little minions, and you shall get what you most desire.” Without waiting for them to respond Crowley picked up the pouch in his mouth and shot off into the night sky.

Diablo and Zomba looked at each other, both with eyes aglow with happiness. “It looks like you were right, my dear,” Diablo admitted to his mate.

Zomba rolled her eyes “Of course I was right. You never should have doubted me. Now let’s get back to the nest and put this feather to work!” She gingerly picked up the feather in her front teeth and squiggled off into the darkness. Diablo followed her, soothed by Crowley’s kind words. It sounded like everything was going to work out just as Zomba said it would. But somewhere in the back of his head a little voice kept nagging at him, saying that this whole thing was a bad idea. He shook his head and pushed the voice away. If Zomba was happy, he was going to be happy too. After all, Crowley seemed like a nice guy after all. What could possibly go wrong?

Kiko wrote:Benji's request for Crowley.*EDIT* Will be using Arazia's High Mountain Growler, Nova

Benji was curled up in a patch of sunlight thinking about what Lucifer and his minion had said. Would seeking out that wyrm really help him? He hoped it was true but how could a demon help Nova to notice him. He was nothing special and she was the most beautiful growler he had ever seen. Benji pushed the thought out of his head and curled up tighter, preparing for a nap. He did indeed fall asleep but awoke when the warmth of the sun suddenly disappeared and a chilly breeze ruffled his fur. He looked up expecting to see clouds but what he saw was anything but expected. There in front of him was Crowley. Lucifer had described the demon to him but seeing this giant wyrm in person was a bit frightening.

“Your Benji I presume.”Crowley chuckled at the surprise on the little growlers face when he spoke his name. “Don’t be frightened my boy. My friend Lucifer has told me all about you and your struggles. I’m here to simply offer my assistance if you wish me to.” The grey wyrm shifted uncomfortably, wondering just how much this demon knew. “Well, none of the members of my squirm like me. They all say I will never impress her or have a child. I’m beginning to think they are right.”Crowley grinned, showing of his sharp teeth. He wrapped his tail around the smaller wyrm and pulled him closer. “So this is about a girl. Should have known, it always is. Tell me more boy, I believe I can help you.”

Benji took a deep breath wondering if he really should tell him more. He really loved Nova and would be overjoyed to have a child with her but it all still seemed too easy. “Can you really help me Crowley?” His question was barely a whisper but the demon still heard it. “Of course I can. You just need to ask.” “Ok, can you make Nova like me and give us a child that will impress my whole squirm, even Lucifer?” He made sure to say word for word what Lucifer had told him, stating it would grant him the best possible result. The large black wyrm took off and returned with a small white flower.

“Here, if you eat this Nova won’t be able to resist you and the two of you will have a child so great that the rest of your squirm will have to respect you.” And with that Crowley flew off and left the small wyrm to make his choice.

The female Growler I'm using for the curse has changed. The pair is now Benji and Nettle, both owned by me.

Gadget popped out of his stuffy shipping box and looked over his new surroundings. Lots of open space, good light..and many friendly wyrms to squirm with!

One wyrm in particular drew his undivided attention…the silver-furred Tesla that shyly huddled next to the larger lavender-colored wyrm who had released him and the other new ones. Gadget could hear the swift clicking and whirring of her gears, indicating her nervousness.

Several of the established house-wyrms came over to greet him, but the female Tesla hid behind some packing peanuts. He could not help but glance at her gleaming fur every chance he got, even as he was trying to make friends with the house-wyrms. He introduced himself and tried to remember names.

There was an emergency to deal with, as the last wyrm out of the box had lost her horn. As the squirm gathered around the distressed wyrm, trying to think of a solution, a very large, winged wyrm slithered over to the candy-striped mini whose sad cries had attracted him.“Why, whatever is wrong, my dear? Surely you can’t be this upset over something as minor as a loose horn, can you? Why, that is such an easy fix! All you need to do is ask me for the favor….” The black-and-red wyrm’s voice was brash and deep, with an oddly accented cadence that was compelling.

Gadget watched the dark wyrm from a distance. The little brass Tesla could feel the power in the large wyrm, but he was frightening too. He was so big, and his teeth…..! But his blue eyes, so different from any wyrm Gadget had ever seen, were strangely kind. Could this fellow help the red-and-white striped wyrm?

Before the distressed wyrm could answer the dark one, a brightly-colored Phoenix flew into the room, alighting between the dark wyrm and the candy-striped one.“Begone, foul one! These sweet wyrms do not need anything from you!”

The tatter-winged wyrm grumbled but quickly left, as the Phoenix worked her healing magic to heal the horn onto the head of the newest member of the squirm.

Everyone was happy as the wyrm was healed and whole, and ready to be a part of the group. Greetings were exchanged all around, noses touched, territories established. There was some floofing as dominance was established too. Gadget quickly learned that there was an order to the squirm, as his parents had told him there would be. He needed to establish his place in the squirm.

But most of all, he wanted to establish his place with the silver Tesla. She had retreated to her perch atop a glowing glass ball filled with purple and pink electrical arcs. He inched his way near her. She had not stayed to talk with the other wyrms, so he did not know her name.

He could hear her gears clicking and clacking. No…not a click-clack sound…more like a ‘tick-tock’.‘Tick-Tock?” he said aloud. The silver lady perked up and looked down at him.“How did you know my name?” she asked.“Oh, I didn’t, exactly…it just seemed to be what your heart was saying to mine” Gadget replied, his brassy colored face growing more red. His fur floofed a little as he mentally kicked himself. What a silly thing to say!

Tick-tock smiled slightly and went back to her electricity-bath. “That’s….not really logical, you know. Hearts don’t talk. They just pump blood and oil. You probably just heard my servo-motor gears. They do have the rhythm of my name.” She shook her horned head gracefully and settled back into her basking. The sparking of the glass ball threw tints of purple and pink onto her silver fur. Almost as an afterthought she said; “Good luck in getting a nice hoard here. The Handlers treat their metal items with care and seldom let us near them. It’s so hard to make an impressive collection of parts.” She sighed and looked down at the brass wyrm again. “Parts are what we need, you know….to make new Teslas. Lots of parts.” She winked one dark eye at him and went back to her reverie.

Gadget was entranced. Tick-Tock was beautiful, smart, and definitely playing hard-to-impress. His father had warned him about the game that females played. Since new Teslas were made partly from metals and other tooled items, the ladies loved to make their prospective mates find the choicest bits of gear from which they would build their nestlings. Males vied for their ladies’ affections by finding the highest tech, the brightest metals, the smoothest, roundest gears and levers and bolts and screws. It was a fun contest among the males too, as each one got to show off his latest find, spurring on the others to try even harder.

Gadget knew what his mission was now; to find a hoard of metal tech that would impress the silvery Tesla whose name now whirred within his gears.

For the next few weeks the brassy Tesla squirmed around his new home. There was a large collection of paper blocks with pretty covers, but paper was useless to him. There was wood all over, and fur from the large mammals that padded about the house. Gadget did his best to avoid the furred mammals, as they might be tempted to bat him around, thinking him one of their toys. Although they were furred, Teslas did not use animal fur in constructing their nestlings.

The other wyrms, though friendly, were not much help. None of them cared for electronics or gadgetry, and had no suggestions for his search. There was a very large machine at one end of the main living area, but it projected huge images of strange things late into the night. The Handlers watched it often. They probably would not like the little wyrm pulling pieces off their favorite machine. Besides, it was entirely closed up, and the tiny horn on Gadget’s head was not strong enough to open any of the screws holding it together.

After quite some time, Gadget was about to give up hope of ever amassing a hoard worthy of his treasured silver Tick-Tock.And then he remembered the dark wyrm who had offered to help Candy Cane. Yes, the Phoenix had shooed off the large fellow, called him ‘foul’, but what had he actually done? Most days he merely sits curled up on the tall lamp that gives off daylight. He smiles his toothy grin at the wyrms and the Handlers as they go about their business. The female Handler who brushes them and gives them good noms enjoys petting the large wyrm, and calls him Crowley. He never seemed to cause any one any harm.He said he could help Candy Cane…maybe he could help Gadget?

Late one evening, when most of the wyrms had curled up in their various cubby holes, the brassy little wyrm squirmed his way up the lamp that held Crowley.“I wondered when you’d be by, little Gadget.” said the black-and-red wyrm. “I was getting tired of waiting.”Gadget floofed. How did he know?“Well, out with it, boy. Did you want my help? I may look like I have all eternity..and well, frankly, I do…but I don’t want to spend it waiting for a Tesla who can’t even find the ball bearings to talk to me!”“I…I want to impress Tick-Tock…you know, the silver beauty who lives on the glowing glass ball…” meeped Gadget, staring into the disconcertingly warm blue eyes of the large wyrm above him.

Crowley rolled those blue eyes as he said condescendingly “Plasma globe. It’s called a plasma globe. Interestingly enough, it was invented by Nikola Tesla, for whom your breed is named.” The tatter-winged wyrm smirked as his eyes took on a distant light. ‘He shouldn’t have made that deal…..”He shook he head as he refocused on the little brass wyrm. “But that’s neither here nor there. So, what say you, my little clockwork friend? Do you want my help?”

“But…can you help me? I mean, help me to find some gears and bits of electronics that will really impress my silver Tick-Tock?” Crowley smiled, his many teeth gleaming whitely in his midnight face. The red swirls decorating his facial ridges gleamed with ruby sparkles. “Of course I can help you, my little tin soldier! You want special kibbles n’ bits, and you will get them!” He leaned down to where Gadget curled around the lamp post and looked into the wyrm’s dark eyes with his mesmerizing blue ones. “Do we have a deal?”

“Y-yes” stammered Gadget. “I would be forever grateful for any help you could give me in finding special parts to impress my lady.”

“Well then, just sit back and let old Crossroads Crowley work his magic! Go back to your cubby-hole nest and dream sweet dreams. When you awake, you’ll have your special parts…and your lady’s heart, I’m sure.”

Gadget happily squirmed back to his little nest of wires and loose screws. What a nice fellow that Crowley was! He couldn’t understand why the other wyrms ignored him.

The next morning, when he awoke, he found scattered around his nest a collection of the oddest electronic pieces and doo-dads he had ever seen! Some of them were flat wafers of metal, with tiny lines of gold and even smaller dots of colored enamel. Some bits had glowing squares of glass, while others were wires twisted together with colored plastics. There were pieces of metal shaped like tiny rods, and they glowed with an eerie green light. They were warm, too.

No other wyrm had a hoard like his, he was sure! What a hatchling he and Tick-Tock could make!

He squirmed over to the silver Tesla’s nest and motioned her to follow him. When she saw his collection, she was delighted. “Oh, Gadget! What an amazing hoard! I’ve never seen anything like it! These glowing warm things are delightful!” She wiggled closer to the brass wyrm, letting the static in the dry air make sparks along their fur where they touched each other. “You have done the Tesla proud, my dear. Shall we start putting these bits together and see what we can come up with…?” The silver wyrm winked one dark eye and touched her nose to his. A spark flew, making both of them laugh.

Gadget purred happily as he began sorting through the pile of treasure with his love. He glanced across the room in Crowley’s direction, and saw that the dark wyrm was once more smiling his toothy grin. “I’ll have to do him a favor someday” thought Gadget. “To repay him for his kindness….”